National Republican., 1887-01-03

BROOKLYN, Jan. Tins morning al the Cab
ernacle tho Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D. 3D.,
expounded some passages of scripture concern.
ing the longevity of the patriarchs. He gave
out the hymrbeginning;
"My days are gliding swiftly by,
And l, pilgrim stranger,
Would not detain them as they fly,
Those hours of toll and danger"
His text was Genesis, Xvii, 8: "How old
art thou?'' The preacher said:
The Egyptian capital was the focus of the
worlds wealth. In ships aud bargss there
had been brought to 1t from India frdnkln-
eense, and cinnamon, and ivory, and uia-
monds; from the north, marble and iron;
OF the finest horses of the world and some of
the most brilliant chariots: and from all the
earth thatwhich could best please the eye. and
were temples aaame with red sandstone, en-.
tered by the gateways that were guarded by
pillars bewildering with hieroglyphics and
wound with braZen serpents. and adorned with
winged creatures-their eyes, and beaks, and
piniOns glittcring with precious stones There
were marble columns blooming into white
tlowerbeds; there were stone pillars at the top
bursting into the shape of the lotus when III
full:bloom. Along the avenues, lined with
sphinx, and fame, and obelisk there were
palanquin, carried by servants In scarlet,
or elsewhere drawn by. vehicles, the
snow;whi,e whit, ..iYn horses go!d,bttssS, and and
fountains from stonew wreathed vases climbing
the ladders OF the light. You would hear a bolt
shoye and door Of brass would open like
were saturated with odors that mounted the
terrace. and dripped from the arbors aud
burned their incense In the Egyptian noon.
On floors of MOSAIC the gories OF Pharoah were
spelled out in letters OF porphyry, and beryi,
and flame. There were ornaments twisted
from the wood of tamarisk, embossed with
stools made out of a single precious stone.
There were beds fashioned out of a crouched
lion in bronze. There were, chairs spotted
with 6e eek hdes bs 81 eoPSrd There were
armed with the beaks OF birds. As you stand
on the level beach of the sea on summer day
and look either way, and there are miles of
breakers, white with the ocean foam, dashing
shoreward: SO II seemed as IL the sea of the
worlds pomp aud wealth In the Egyptian cap.
ital ior miles and miles flung itself up int,
white breakers OF marble temple, mausoleum,
and obelisk.
1t was to this capital and the palace of
Pharaoh That Jacob the plaln shepherd, came
minister in the royal apartment. Pharaoh
and Jacob meet, dignity and rusticlty. the
the old tountryman at case, and seeing how
white his beard is and how feeble his step,
looks familiarly into his face, and says 10 Tie
aged man: "How old ART thou?"
Night before last the gate OF eternity opened
10 Jet in, amid the great throng of departed
centuries the soul of the dying year. Under
the city clock, the patriarch fell dead, and the
htars OF the night were the funeral torches. II
IL most fortunate that on this rond of life there
are so many milestones on which we can read
just how fast are going toward the journeys
end. L feel that II Is not an inappropriate
question that ask, to-day when look into
your faces, and say, as Pharoah did to Jacob,
tbe patriarch: "IIow old art thou?"
:, People who are truthful on every other subject
ne aIont lheir ages so that do not solicit from
yon any literal response to the question have
asked, would put no one under temptation;
bnl ! simply want this morning, 10 see by what
rod II Is we are measuring our earthly exist
enee. There Is right way and wrong Way
OF measuring door, or wall, or an arch' or
tower, and so there Is a right Way and n
wrong way of measuring our earthly @ existence
IL is with reference to this higher meaning that
l confront you this morning with the stnpen.
dous question of the text and ask: GLOW old
art ihou?'
there arc many who estimate their life by
mere worldly qualification. When Lord Dundas
was wished q happy New Year, he said "It
Will rave TO be happier year than the past
for ] hadn't one happy moment in all the
twelve months that have gone" But that ha,
not been the experience OF most of us. We
have found that though the world is blasted
with sin, II Is q very bright and beautiful place
70 reside in. We have had joys innumerable
There is no hostility between the Gospel and
the meTTiment and the festivities OF life. | do
rot think that we fully enough appreciate the